Taiwan has never taken military support from other nations for granted, and the nation's defenses are designed to fight independently without relying on nations such as the US, a top Ministry of National Defense official said yesterday.
"The US has never promised to come to Taiwan's aid in the event of cross-strait hostilities. Nor has Taiwan anticipated such aid from the US, for we can never be sure if it would render us assistance," said General Hu Chen-pu (
Hu made the remarks during a press briefing held to show off the ministry's combat-maneuver training center. The event was also apparently aimed at promoting the ministry's arms procurement plan ahead of the legislative session that convenes on Feb. 21.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
In this regard, Hu said: "If possible, the government should bring the national defense budget to 3 percent of GDP and support the procurement of the three major weapons systems from the US by including them in the budget for fiscal year 2006."
The ministry would not rule out any options if there were a feasible substitute for the proposed package, Hu said, adding that "the major responsibility of the Ministry of National Defense is to conduct an assessment of what the nation's armed forces need to be equipped with. Besides, the ministry has carefully evaluated the type of weapons the nation needs and gained support from our allies."
According to the ministry's Integrated Assessment Office, China is expected to deploy more than 1,800 ballistic missiles by 2010. The total number of conventional and nuclear-powered submarines will also rise to 44 from 32 by 2008 before reaching 50 in 2015. The office believes that the cross-strait military balance will tilt in China's favor this year.
The office also said that the number of new Chinese warships reached 24 last year and that this will grow to 38 by 2015. China's navy is also expected to establish a fleet of aircraft carriers and claim naval and air supremacy in the Taiwan Strait by 2015.
Results of a computer analysis by the office suggested that the nation's armed forces need nine sets of Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles, 12 maritime- patrol aircraft and 10 submarines to deal with China's military threat.
To target weaknesses in China's People's Liberation Army and to maintain access to energy supplies, Taiwan must build its military strength to an extent that is capable of deterring invasion, ministry officials said.
In related news, China yesterday rejected a Pentagon report that singled out Beijing as the major power most likely to challenge the US' military supremacy and said it posed no threat to other countries.
The US' Quadrennial Defense Review released last week said China had the greatest potential to compete militarily with the US.
"The report interferes with China's internal affairs by groundlessly accusing China's normal national defense build-up," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan (孔泉) told a news conference.
"It also whips up a Chinese military threat and misleads public opinion," he said.
The review, outlining the Pentagon's strategy for meeting anticipated security threats in the next 20 years, said that the US would build new long-range weapons to counter potential rivals such as China.
also see story:
Ma pushes `status quo' in article
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
RSS